An Arrangement of Sorts
by Incredibly Humble
Summary: Xiomara Hooch is haunted by memories of a fateful night with Igor Karkaroff. Will she ever forget her horrific past when Karkaroff arrives at Hogwarts?
1. Chapter 1

My first fic, so please be audacious, scandalous, snotty, and snarky. Oh yeah, feel free to review as well.

Like everyone else using this site, I don't own crap- although unlike many, I don't really want to.

I guess that I should send out a thank-you note to Fin Ravel, considering that The Art Portfolio kind of inspired this (The whole idea about something like an accident occurring, except this may or may not be an accident.). If you had just updated, I might not have written this!

* * *

The moonlight cast a sharp relief against the scars roping about her arms. Gods, how long has it been? Some were still scabbing, and others weren't even that far along. She shut the windows and the light filtering through the stained glass immediately changed the room from a dank, cold nightmare into a simple living space. "No use thinking about the past, eh?" She pulled on a cotton kimono that smelled lightly of wood and smoke, then poured herself a drink and curled up in a low sitting chair. 

_Xiomara!_

Yes, she knew what was coming next: a wave of guilt for drinking like this, another glance at her mutilated arms and body, and worst of all, the crying will set in. Of everything that she had to weather, the worst was flooding the room with useless tears and wasting tissue. She was Xiomara Hooch, one of the greatest athletes in professional Quidditch! Wouldn't one believe that after all of her years of sweat and blood that her skin would have grown thicker? She looked up on the wall and blinked through her tears to glare at her rather extensive trophy case before slinging her drink through the glass case surrounding her long dead past.

_Xiomara!_

Oh, stop it! There was really no point to be admonished; she had already saturated her torso with salty water, she already pulled the bottom part of her kimono to the side to expose the burns and gashes to a bleak and depressing present, and she had already started to pace the room, wondering why she kept doing this every night.

Like every other night, she retrieved the knife resting on her bedside table and contemplated giving herself one final scar, and like every other night she just opened another wound on her arm and allowed herself to bleed all over the floor. She sucked on the new cut and when the bleeding slowed she sat back in her chair with a sigh and another drink.

A knock.

She looked up from her well of sorrows with a renewed interest based partially in fear.

Another knock.

"Hold on!" She cried as she threw a rag over the puddle of blood and finished her drink with a cough. "I'm coming!"

She straightened her kimono and checked for traces of blood before sighing and cracking the door open. "May I come in?"

"Yes, of course!" Xiomara cried as she opened the door for the Headmaster. "I'll admit that it is a bit late, but you are welcome here at any time, Sir!"

"That is what I was hoping that you would say, Xiomara. On the way here I worried that my presence would not be desired."

"No, never!" She bustled into the kitchen and put tea on the stove, then popped her head out and said "Fancy some tea, or perhaps something a bit stronger?" while gesturing towards a seat, taking great care that her sleeve didn't fly up.

"Tea would be perfect, Xiomara." Albus walked towards a comfortable chair, but noticed the bloody rag on the floor and immediately turned around and walked to the kitchen. "I believe that you told me that you didn't cut yourself anymore."

"This time was a freak accident, I swear!" Xiomara said. "Really Albus, it happened three years ago- I'm over it entirely!"

He swept to her side and caught her left hand in his, then slid the smooth cloth away, exposing her fresh cut. "I don't want you to hurt yourself. It doesn't relieve the pain, and it only makes it harder for your friends and family to cope."

She dropped her head and stepped into his embrace "I know, Albus." She started to cry again, but this time there was a beacon of hope in the form of one of her closest friends to give her strength and inner resolve. Who was she kidding? She was a lost lamb in a dark wood, and no one could help her.

After she calmed down, they both enjoyed a cup of tea and engaged in small talk for at least an hour at the small table sitting near her stove. Albus then quieted and a somber note crept into his voice. "Xiomara, I don't know how to tell you this," Here it comes, she was fired. "I realize that this will be quite a shock and that you may be upset with me afterwards, but I feel that you should hear this from a friend… in advance." Not fired yet; incompetent and in need of R and R in St. Mungo's? He took a deep breath, the normally unnoticeable lines on his forehead sticking out like streaks of dark paint. "Igor Karkaroff's giving a demonstration next week and will be arriving in three days."

She felt a lead knife drop through her gut and she was ready to bolt. Igor Karkaroff will be here? That- that thing? How dare he return to Hogwarts! "Karkaroff?" She feigned indifference as razors pulsated through her veins. "How long will he be staying, did you say?"

"He will be here for nine days." He moved to the seat next to her and directed her attention to his eyes. "I couldn't refuse him; I tried as hard as I could."

She rested her head against his shoulder and beat back tears. "I know you did." She paused to finish her tea. "I think that I would like to be alone for a bit, if you don't mind."

"Will you be more comfortable in the castle? It may be safer there."

"I'm sure that it will be."

"Please, Xiomara- promise me that you'll keep your head."

"I will, Albus."

With that, Albus reluctantly made his leave with one final hug and good-bye. He then ran back into her house and grabbed the blood stained knife. "It's not that I don't trust you; I don't trust you when you're drunk, and you most assuredly will give it your all to try and drown your troubles in the bottle." Damn him for knowing her so well!

"Don't worry, Albus! I have completely come to terms with what happened!" The door closed and she was left alone with memories and an open bottle. What else was she to do? She wouldn't be able to sleep, and she didn't have her trusty old Mac the Knife to make it all better. "I don't care at all about what happened, not one bit…"

The next morning Xiomara woke with a terrible hangover and an empty bottle of liquor pressed against her chest. There was broken glass everywhere, so she assumed that she had another look at her grotesque form. The damage extended beyond smashing glasses to pulverizing old photographs and breaking cabinets. She cleaned up the entire mess with a wave of her wand, grabbed a clean set of robes, and took a shower.

While she finished toweling off she felt considerably better in both body and mind. Sure, she still had to deal with Karkaroff, but at least she felt slightly better prepared until she heard a knock.

She ran to the door, peered through the peekhole, and opened the door to allow Poppy Pomfrey inside. "Poppy, what a pleasant surprise it is to find you here on my front step!"

"Indeed," She carefully stepped over the threshold and stood next to a window with tightly drawn curtains. "Xiomara, I just heard about…" Her voice faded away with a note of uncertainty.

"Oh, about what?"

Poppy's eyes grew shaded and she examined the floor for a moment before looking back up and saying "I was there that night, you don't need to pretend."

Xiomara forced indifference through her teeth as she said "Oh, Poppy! I was there too, and I can assure you that his coming to Hogwarts won't have any affect on me whatsoever!" She strolled to her staircase and sat on the third step from the bottom. "That reminds me- one of my muscles is acting up, and don't give me that look!" she snapped at Poppy's disbelieving expression. "I've been exercising as much as ever and doing all of those stupid yoga poses you taught me but it's still swelling and giving me grief to the point of my considering what you said about it being magically affiliated as opposed to a simple sprain."

"How has it been affecting you?"

"Just pain and swelling so far, d'you think that it could be related to some sort of allergy to the medication you prescribed?"

"I doubt that it would be a reaction, considering that I've been giving you homeopathic drugs. What kind of pain?"

"The kind that hurts!" She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I was just asking- does it feel like there's an abscess of some kind beneath the skin, do you cramp up, is there scar tissue that is breaking down prematurely? The list goes on for some time."

"Hm…" She sucked on her lip and scratched her foot "I think that it has something to do with scabbing, but it kind of does feel like there may be an abscess of some kind."

"I would prefer to try and diagnose this in the Infirmary, unless you're not up for it."

"Don't be like that, Poppy." Xiomara stood and shook her head to relieve her ear canals of excess water.

"It's a standard question."

"I don't care."

Poppy smiled and led Xiomara to the Hospital Wing then asked "Xiomara, would you be more comfortable bunking with me?"

"Really, I'm fine. Albus also offered, but I think that I'll be better off in my little nest." She responded as she climbed onto a bed. "Can we close the curtain for this, please?"

The curtains closed with a wave of Poppy's wand after she retrieved a dolly of various vials and beakers filled with mysterious liquids. "Which muscle is this, did you say?"

"It's the same one as last time."

"Oh." She busied herself with her potions as Xiomara pulled her skirts off and let out a low whistle when she saw the damage. "It appears that you developed some kind of infection." She pointed out a red and swollen portion of her right inner thigh.

"How?"

"I don't know, maybe alcohol abuse?"

"Shut up."

"I'm serious; alcohol can have a severe detrimental affect on the medication I prescribed to you."

"Great." Xiomara lolled her head back and groaned.

"There's a simple solution, though I doubt that you would like it."

"Come on, there's a drink named after me! Did you know that?"

"I'm sure that it's wonderful, but you'll simply have to stop drinking it."

"In the meantime?"

"I can try bleeding it- it's not like this cut's getting any better."

"So you're just going to reopen a wound that finally stopped oozing pus a month ago?"

"It was blood plasma, and yes. Oh, if I ever get my hands on that Igor Karkaroff, I swear that he'll regret ever setting foot in Europe, let alone school grounds!"

"I'm no Healer, but it seems that three years is more than enough for me to heal up."

"I don't know why it took so long for you to heal, unless you drank something…?"

"Oh, again with the drinking? Fine, I'm an alcoholic. When can I get this bled?"

In answer Poppy pulled a scalpel and a cotton swab soaked in anesthesia from her cart.

"Sure, you have everything right here. You can't give me a minute to prepare or anything- just go already!"

"It won't hurt at all." She swabbed the scar until the liquid glinted off of it like a snake's scales, then cut the warped tissue clean off and squeezed the wound until greenish pus ran into a waiting beaker. "Aren't you happy that I didn't just give you some potion? This will make you feel much better."

"Right." In truth, she did feel better- but she would never tell Poppy that. "Shouldn't you be wearing gloves?"

"Why? It's impossible for me to transfer any bacteria into your system."

"How?"

"Look at this." She shoved the vessel of pus under Xiomara's nose. "Pus is generally this color with the kind of infection you have, but the smell puzzles me. What I mean is, well, magic has to be involved with this smell."

"Not alcohol?" She joked. "That it?"

"No." Poppy disappeared to the bottom shelf of the cart and returned with another beaker filled with alcohol and a roll of gauze.

"I thought that alcohol was the problem."

"Very funny." She dressed the cut and opened the curtains after the other woman pulled her skirts back on.

"Thanks, Poppy."

"Listen, Xiomara. I want you to be careful."

"Poppy, I know! I've been over this a million times with a million other people, and I'll be fine!" She stormed out of the Infirmary and did broomstick exercises at a breakneck pace until that afternoon when Albus flagged her down.

"Practice makes perfect, as the old saying goes." He said as she wiped a bead of sweat from her brow.

"Practice improves on perfect."

Albus laughed, "Too true!" His voice grew serious "Have you decided what room you will be staying in?"

Xiomara knew that she should have taken a room in the castle, but her stubborn disposition and Poppy's words forced her to say "I decided that I'll be fine outside the castle."

"I would prefer it if you weren't alone and isolated."

"I would be just as alone and isolated in the castle, Albus."

"You know that that's not true." He admonished her.

"Yes it is- I would just lock the doors and windows and block the fireplace so well that even you wouldn't be able to get in."

He chuckled at that and proffered his arm "I believe that it's time for an afternoon meal."

"Oh, and I skipped breakfast, too!" Her stomach growled as she looped her arm into his and walked to the Great Hall for lunch.

When they sat at their seats, Albus immediately engaged Severus in what anyone who was unfamiliar with Albus would mistake for small talk, Xiomara immediately tore into her meal, but no one else seemed to want to eat or speak.

"What's the matter with everyone? Isn't it lunchtime?" At that, everyone tucked in and conversation exploded through the air.

"I heard that Igor Karkaroff is doing a demonstration in a few days." Auriga Sinistra said towards Xiomara.

"I heard that as well, I wonder what he'll be demonstrating." She battled down the wave of nausea that threatened to spill over her throat.

"He'll be giving a lecture involving interdisciplinary studies." Severus offered, "According to the mysterious leak from the Headmaster's office- but that can hardlybe correct, unless my source doesn't realize that it only takes a few hours to give a good lecture."

"Is he staying overnight?" Another voice added.

"I thought that it was a week."

"I suppose that you will all have to wait and find out at tonight's Staff Meeting, and until then it would be prudent of all of you to not mention this in front of the students." Albus interjected. After that, everyone returned to their previous conversations with the exception of Xiomara, who had finished her meal.

"Xiomara, I would like to finish our conversation at a later date."

"Yessir." She muttered through her teeth before stalking out of the Great Hall.

She spent the rest of the daylight hours on her broomstick, then went to bed a few minutes before sunset.

* * *

Okay, so this isn't the Great American novel. Come to think of it, it can't be because it's set in Europe! I would really appreciate reviews or some kind of feedback so I'll be better prepared for writing that Great American novel. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter with the exception of my copies of the books and the plots to my fanfictions.

Xiomara hunched over her kitchen table with a warm cup of tea, trembling despite her warm coat. Albus shifted in his seat and cleared his throat, "Xiomara, I truly am sorry. I had no idea that he would arrive early, I swear."

"I know, Albus." She thought about his offer of a room in the castle, but this was the furthest point from Karkaroff that she could be without having walked off campus- and she would never do that because it would take her away from Albus' protection. "I'm fine, really." She lied, and she could see in his face that he didn't believe her.

"You don't want a room in the castle?"

"No." She poured more tea into both of their cups, "Tea, Severus?"

"No," he called from the front room and, at a look from Albus, added "but thanks."

"The offer's always open."

"Thank you."

Albus sighed and grabbed Xiomara's hand. "So you _will_ be alright out here? Safe?"

"Even you won't be able to catch me off-guard." She laughed, a faux laugh designed to distract from the turmoil in her mind, but a laugh nonetheless.

"Will he be able to overpower you once you're on your guard is the better question." Severus said.

She sighed angrily and slammed her cup on the table, chipping the bottom. "He won't get close enough to overpower me."

"Do you honestly believe that?"

"Now, Severus," Albus interrupted, "I'm sure that Herr Karkaroff won't try anything while he's here."

"I don't know what Igor did, but I know him better than both of you- if he got away with it last time, then he'll probably try again." At that, she felt like an icy knife had been plunged through her insides.

"Severus,"

"It's true, Albus. Xiomara's best chances of surviving this ordeal unscathed would be to take a paid vacation."

"Severus, I don't need this right now." Xiomara picked up her tea and took a swig in hopes to sooth the queasiness that had come over her, but it only made her sicker. "Anyway, why should it matter if I stay out here? You know, and so does Poppy, so I imagine that I'll be just fine."

"If you say so; I believe that Igor requested a meeting with you and Minerva for around this time, Albus."

Albus' jaw clenched and he released a tense breath. "Are you joining, Severus?"

"I think I'll take up that offer of tea."

"I'm sorry, Xiomara. I'll come to visit later and see how you're doing." He gave her a tight hug and stepped out the door.

"Albus has been worrying about you."

"I wonder why."

Severus let out a low growl of a chuckle, "I know that you're upset about Igor's presence, but for the life of me I can't figure out _how_ the two of you are connected."

"I don't know either." Xiomara kept her eyes trained on him as he stalked into the kitchen and retrieved a teacup.

"Oh, I believe that you do." He sat in Albus' recently vacated seat and allowed some tea to be poured into his cup.

"I'm sure as hell not going to tell you!"

He raised a hand to quiet her. "I didn't expect you to; I was planning on asking Igor tonight. I wanted to address the…" he rotated his cup with nimble fingers "proposition that you brought up this morning."

"And what would that be, again?"

"About my 'keeping Karkaroff away' from you."

"Ah, yes. Will you help me, then?"

"I don't see why I should."

Xiomara's insides writhed and wriggled as she watched his eyes dance over her, his thin lips slightly parted. "What if I… made it worth your while?" She put her foot to his and gently stroked his lower leg with her ankle.

His eyes bulged slightly for a moment, "I," his hand shook as he rotated his cup again. "I think we should discuss this later- in my private chambers."

She nearly recoiled, but she steadied herself. "When?"

"T- ten o'clock." His lips twitched and he pulled his leg away. "Until tonight, Xiomara." He slowly stood and walked to the door.

Xiomara stood and caught up with him, "Listen," she put her hand on his to keep him from opening the door.

His voice jumped up an octave, "I have to go."

"Please, Severus, don't change your mind!"

"I have to go. Ten o'clock." He shakily removed her hand from his and turned the knob until Xiomara ran her fingers across his neck and up into his hair, pulling him down to her eye level. "Xiomara,"

"Severus," she begged, "please!"

"Ten o'clock." His eyes flitted down and up her body once more, lingering on her waist and lips, before hurrying out of the house.

"Don't change your mind!" she pleaded and rested her forehead to the cool doorframe, thinking of the night with mixed feelings. After a few hours of pacing and trying to ignore her liquor cabinet, Albus returned.

"Are you doing alright, Xiomara?"

"Yes, quite well…" she sighed. "Can I get you anything?"

He smiled sympathetically, "No, thank you. Is there something else troubling you?" How could he have known?

She hung her head and nodded. "Yes, I suppose so."

"What's wrong?" he led her to the sofa and rushed to the kitchen to put water on for tea. He returned to her side while the water was heating up.

"Well, I don't think I know where to start…" she rubbed her temples and let Albus retrieve a couple cups of tea. "Thank you. I… to hell with it- I'm seeing Severus tonight and I think he expects more from me than I can give."

"What?" he adopted an incredulous look, "He wants…?"

She nodded grimly.

"Did… did you lead him to this conclusion?"

"What was I supposed to do, Albus? I was thinking on my feet! I was panicking!" she exclaimed, then continued somberly, "You've seen how he's looked at me."

He sighed, "Just be safe."

Interesting stuff will happen in the next chapter, I swear!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter- J.K. Rowling does. I only use her characters and settings because she hasn't said 'No' yet. (Please don't tell her- I can't come up with my own characters!)

* * *

Xiomara stepped into the shower, the slightly too hot water flash-expanding her pores and turning her skin pinkish red. She lowered the temperature at the flick of her wrist. This was her second shower in an hour- she felt so dirty, it was as if her skin was covered in snakes. Severus had certainly been happy to see her and at first she was pleased with that, but it was just too soon since… She let the thought die as she felt another scar.

She was so ashamed of herself, ashamed for everything that she had done since yesterday.

"_Come in, Xiomara." Severus glided his hands over her shoulders as he helped her remove her cloak. "Make yourself comfortable."_

"_Thank you, Severus." She sat in a chair by the fire, rubbing her hands together to drive away the cold._

"_May I offer you a drink?" He pulled out a bottle of wine and poured a glass, then looked to her._

"_No, thank you. I'm trying to cut down."_

"_Alright, then- why do you need my help?"_

"_I don't need it- I want it."_

"_Then why bother?"_

"_Why do you think?" She snapped at him. "I asked you because you can keep a secret. I don't want this spreading around the school."_

_He nodded and sipped his wine._

"_Why don't we continue our conversation from this morning?" He responded enthusiastically to that suggestion._

She toweled off and stepped into a pair of long johns- it was a cold night and she didn't want the fire to be lit lest anyone should decide to come for a visit via Floo. Of course Albus had already stopped by- he came as soon as he found out (he said that Severus didn't tell him, so she had no idea how he could have known).

"_Severus!" she moaned as he found that special place along her jaw. She pushed him off of her and pinned him down firmly when he started to undo the buttons on her untucked shirt._

"_What's wrong?" he asked between breaths, squirming one of his hands out of her grip and around the back of her thigh._

_She balked at his touch, but quickly regained her composure, "Everything's fine- it's just been awhile."_

_He propped himself up on his elbows and glared off into space, frustrated. "If you can't go through with this, Xiomara,"_

"_Don't be silly, Severus- I'm fine! Now where were we?" she started to unbutton her shirt, but he stopped her._

"_If you can't…" he let the phrase die as she shifted her weight and finished unbuttoning her shirt._

"_I can."_

She whipped the sheets off of her bed and checked for any foreign objects, then replaced them and climbed in with her wand held tight in her hand- it was going to stay there the entire night.

_She screamed and rolled off the bed, prompting a surprised yelp from Severus. "Oh Gods, Severus, I'm so sorry!" her shoulders shook with contained sobs, but they soon gave way to manic, hoarse cries. "I'm sorry, I ca-an't d…do…it, Sev-ver…Sev-ver-us! I'm so sorry!"_

"_Xiomara,"_

"_Please, I can't do it- I can't go through with it!"_

"_Stop crying!"_

_She screamed again at the sight of Igor Karkaroff's silhouette leering at her from the doorway. "Let me go, please, by the Gods just let me go!" Her skin burned with white-hot flame, her scars opened once more. "Please!"_

"_Please, Xiomara- just calm down!" Severus' face slid back into focus as he knelt on the floor and reached to her face. "Just be calm."_

_She took a few steadying breaths and looked toward the doorway- there was only light coming from the opening._

"_If you can't go through with this, Xiomara," he sighed and wiped her tears away, "I won't force you."_

Xiomara jumped out of bed with a quiet yelp upon hearing something coming from downstairs. There it was again! She listened carefully, ignoring the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She realized that it was someone knocking at the door, so she slipped her dressing gown on and checked the peephole before opening the door and allowing Poppy inside.

"Oh, Xiomara- are you alright? Sit down, I've got something here that will help… God, why did this have to happen to you again?"

"What are you talking about, Poppy?"

"With Severus, earlier this evening! Oh, that man deserves nothing less than a good, sound thrashing! He should be castrated along with Karkaroff, that's what! That will teach him a thing or two about 'no means no'!"

"Where did you hear this from?"

"From Minerva McGonagall- she had to speak with Severus, so she let herself into his rooms (thank God she did- you may have had to stay there with him if she hadn't come and startled him!) and saw him towering over you with a crazy look in his eye, watching you huddled in a corner, crying and begging him to let you go!" She mixed some clear liquid from a flask she had brought with her in with some brandy from the cabinet. "I know what I said earlier about alcohol, but this is a special exception. Drink up, Xiomara; it will help you sleep."

"Albus must have heard that from Minerva, then." She accepted the drink, but didn't bring it to her lips. Instead, she leaned back into the sofa with a sigh. "That's not what happened, Poppy. It looked suspicious, I'm sure, but that's not what happened."

"Then what _did_ happen?"

"I'm sorry, Poppy, but I'm very tired- both physically and emotionally. I don't think that I could ever explain this to you, and although you deserve an explanation, I'm going to have to ask you to trust me when I tell you that I'm fine, that Severus is innocent- well, innocent enough to do with me- and completely undeserving of castration or a good sound thrashing, that Minerva was wrong, and that there's no cause for alarm."

"Please, just come and stay in my rooms tonight." Poppy begged.

"I'm fine, really. Please, just trust me; I'm very tired and very shaken, and all I want to do is rest."

"Alright," she said after a long pause.

"Thank you, Poppy."

* * *

Still not the Great American Novel, I know.


End file.
